Reflections On My NC500 Trip

The trip was not how I visualised it would be. I had a romantic notion that I would be wild camping bedside lochs or beaches off the beaten track. I imagined warm balmy evenings with me sitting outside my tent admiring the scenery and observing the wildlife, whilst heating up a tin of something for my tea. After a comfortable nights sleep under just a sheet in my tent, I would go for a long morning hike and upon returning to camp, I would have a cool refreshing swim/wash in the loch or sea.

Obviously it didn’t turn out to be like that. Even by Scottish standards the weather was unseasonably wet and windy. It was generally too damp to sit outside during the evening and the nights were freezing in my little tent. I didn’t have a sleeping bag and was forced in to wearing in bed every bit of warm clothing that I had including my jacket and walking/motorcycle boots. After just three nights in the tent, I resorted to staying in hostels with a proper roof, solid walls and a comfy bed with a duvet. I had planned for the trip to last 2 weeks, but the weather for the second week was forecast to be EVEN worse.

When I had been planning for the trip I had to be economical in what I took, because I only had two motorcycle panniers and a top box for everything to be packed into. Unfortunately most of the clothes I packed I didn’t wear including my cargo shorts, beach shorts, adventure sandals and my neoprene shoes for swimming. In fact, I wore the same pair of jeans and boots for the entire trip. I also packed, but didn’t wear, suntan lotion, a baseball cap and sunglasses, because it wasn’t ever sunny enough and a midge head net, because apart from two short spells whilst camping in Wick it was too windy!!

The trip didn’t get off to the best of starts when I was riding up the M23 and realised that I hadn’t noted the starting mileage on my odometer or set the trip. At my first stop at Donnington Park Services, I tried to rectify the situation by zeroing my trip and then I would add the miles I had already travelled. Unfortunately at some stage, I somehow managed to accidentally zero the trip again. I have since plotted my daily journeys on Apple Maps (see photos) and added up the mileage to be a 1,988 mile trip.

The other incident that wasn’t in my plans was when I failed to put my bike stand down properly and the bike embarrassingly fell on top of me in a McDonalds car park just over the border into Scotland on Day 2. The back of left thigh was left badly bruised and I was limping for several days. The thought of hiking in that first week was out of the question.

Despite the miserable weather, it was still an extremely enjoyable trip. My wet weather motorcycle gear kept me warm and virtually dry all the time I was astride my bike. The tent sadly was unbearable in the weather, but I had absolutely no problem in staying in hostels with dorms of 4, 6 or 12 bunk beds. The hostel facilities were overall very good, particularly the kitchens and communal areas. The staff were always helpful and the other guests, mainly mature adults, were generally respectful of the other guests.

My most favourite part of the trip was travelling through the mountainous region of the north western Highlands from Lochinver down to Lochcarron. It was extremely scenic and picturesque. It deserved much more attention than just riding through it, stopping for the odd photo. It warrants stopping for several days and hiking through the wilderness, then moving on to another location in the region and doing it all over again.

Although not on the North Coast 500 route, I would definitely spend a decent amount of time to explore the area around Glencoe. In addition I would also take a detour to visit the Isle of Skye.

I am already looking forward to doing it all over again, clockwise this time, hopefully with Jackie, preferably in a camper van or if not in a car with a decent sized tent with chairs and a table AND a sleeping bag. I wouldn’t however go if the forecast was as wet and windy as that that I had to endure.

Finally, the little present that I bought Jackie was a ‘Nessie - The Monster in a Wee Box’, (see the final photo). I’m not sure it compensates for cutting short Jackie’s original present of two weeks of peace and quiet!!

Until the next time…

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